Knowledge and skills transfer from a postgraduate course in computer-based education to teaching practice

Abstract:

Emerging technologies are changing human beings as well as their social matrix in which they interact. The integration of ICT into education is an indication of societal and cultural change and as the social matrix becomes altered, it imposes different demands on the individual components of the greater community. It is often not easy for people to accept change and initially they resist it. In this inquiry, some of the tensions that exist in such an activity system have been identified.
Vygotskian theory stipulates that human beings learn with and from each other through mediation of psychological and physical tools. The two participants in this inquiry, registered for the postgraduate course in Computer-based Education (CBE) to enable them to interact with the tools of ICT. The theoretical and practical components of the course also exposed them to the concept of learning through technology. The knowledge and skills acquired related to the use of computer technology in educational settings was supposed to help them to interact with technology at the school where they were employed to teach.
In order to transfer skills and knowledge back to teaching practice the two participants needed the support of colleagues, school management, parents and other members of the greater community as defined by their activity system to enable them to achieve this. Through the analysis of a single focus group interview and two individual interviews, initial findings show that existing rules and policies within the school need to be adapted to accommodate the introduction of ICT at the school. It is also apparent from the findings that there are a number of tensions that influence the transfer of skills and knowledge from the postgraduate course to teaching practice. These tensions are inherent to the unique context as defined by the greater school community. The participants report that, due to a number of reasons, they are not interacting with ICT tools as much as they were expecting to. This is becoming frustrating to them as they are not applying what they learned. They feel that their knowledge is becoming redundant because of this. Most of the tensions between the various components of the activity system as defined in this inquiry originate from the insufficient preparation for the introduction of computers in educational settings at the school. Furthermore, participants report a lack of support from colleagues and management structures as well as parents and other parties who form part of the immediate community at the school. As a result of this it is difficult for them to integrate ICT into their daily teaching and learning activities.
It is also interesting to note that the graduates of the CBE course also focus more on the upliftment of other staff members when they return to the school and are very concerned about getting these colleagues to learn basic computer skills. As a result they do not integrate the technology into their teaching and learning. Furthermore, when they do get the learners to use the computers at the school they still focus on basic skills not related to the teaching and learning of their subject or learning area. These, and a number of other issues, are described in the findings of this inquiry and explained in terms of tensions that arise between the various components of this activity system.